About This Blog and Blogger/Forum Host

My full name is David Paul Allen. That is of some importance since the Indiana Roll of Attorneys lists six “David Allens,” four of whom appear to be alive and practicing. The total of six “David Allens” seems improbable when the Roll of Attorneys lists fewer than 45 male “Allens” admitted to practice. Among the several “David Allens” practicing law in Indiana, I am the only one in or near Hammond. I was admitted to practice in 1975 after graduation that year from the Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington. Butler University bears the blame for my liberal undergrad education. Now that you know who I am and who I am not, feel free to call me Dave.

I confess a fondness for contrarian and iconoclastic views. I see political correctness as a bane of discourse. I am an enthusiastic “little d” democrat and a somewhat less enthused “big D” Democrat. I have no political ambitions, and I doubt that political endorsements will ever appear in this Blog (though they are not prohibited from the Forum Page). On the other hand, it is likely that officeholders or candidates for office will be criticized here. I see the practice of law as a profession or as a calling and not as a business. I endeavor to study the law daily. It distresses me whenever I encounter judges who are not willingly constrained by the law, even when their purpose is benign.

This Blog is a “Hoosier Law Blog from the Calumet Region.” I will write about issues of State-wide interest and of local interest, with occasional forays into interstate or national subjects. As for local issues, I am blessed in Lake County with a target-rich environment for instances of official arrogance, ignorance, and foolishness. Nonetheless, I may turn my gaze from time to time upon State government. I will make an effort to achieve some balance between criticism and praise, though praise is not the core mission of this Blog. I will try to comment semi-regularly upon interesting Opinions from the Indiana Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

Imagine an ancient text proclaiming a law of restitution for the loss of property and exemplary damages against a thief. What if that text provided for the appointment of judges? What if that text included a rule of evidence that no man be put to death for murder on the testimony of a single witness? (Compare this to the rule for treason in the U.S. Constitution.) You would be right in assuming that the text is from a book of laws. You might not recognize the source as the Old Testament. The cited passages may be found in Exodus chapters 18 and 22 and Numbers chapter 35. The Books of Moses teem with laws governing the secular side of life. In my Blog articles I will not shy from occasional Biblical references, though I promise there will be no Bible-thumping or evangelical rhetoric. Among other “sensitive” subjects, gender, race, immigration policy, and police/public relations are likely to receive some attention.

The Calumet Law Blog invites potential Guest Bloggers to submit (by email) a Blog Page article of news, opinion, or entertainment of interest to the legal community. Proposed Blog Page articles should be specific (with citations) as to issues of law. Lengthy treatises belong elsewhere. Short statements of opinion belong on the Forum Page. Proposed Guest Blogger articles will be accepted or not without regard to whether I agree with the opinions expressed therein. There will be occasional pieces from “Uncle Ned,” a quasi-articulate “down home” Hoosier who enjoys the life of a mind that is only partially closed. Be sure to read Uncle Ned’s introduction from his disapproving wife, “Aunt Hattie.” My “Uncle Ned” material is finite. Anyone interested in ghost-writing for Ned or for Hattie Mae should contact me. Those with an idea for a Blog subject but without an inclination to submit an article may also contact me.

Please check out the Forum Page and its separate text explaining the Forum Page mission…Dave

To contact Dave concerning this Blog, the preferred method is email to: dave@calumetlawblog.com.